Middlesbrough can land their new Hayden Hackney if they beat Wolves to £10m star | OneFootball

Middlesbrough can find their Hayden Hackney replacement by beating Wolves to the signature of Jordan James

Middlesbrough's transfer window is the talk of the town at the moment, and things could potentially get even better for the Teesside outfit if they are able to secure their Hayden Hackney replacement.

With the beginning of the 2026/27 EFL season on the horizon, clubs across the 72 are preparing their squads for the upcoming campaign, though few will have had better than Middlesbrough.

Having narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last time around, Kim Hellberg's side have no intention of repeating that failure, and have endured an excellent summer window so far.

Myles Peart-Harris began the additions, joining on a free transfer from Oxford United, and has since been followed to Teesside by Kyle Joseph for £5 million, Sebastian Berhalter for £1.5 million, Max Arfsten for £5.6 million, Will Lankshear for an initial £10 million, rising to a potential £20 million, and Radek Vitek for an initial £7 million, rising to £14 million.

A deal worth a potential £20 million for Ashley Phillips has stalled, though Boro will be confident in getting the defender's signature over the line.

Their £24 million sale of Hayden Hackney earlier on in the window has helped to fund this rebuild, and they could finally be about to replace him, but must fend off interest from some fellow Championship rivals first.

Middlesbrough must fend off Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United threat for Hayden Hackney replacement Jordan James

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Replacing Hackney this summer was always going to be a next-to-impossible task for Boro, but they may have identified their ideal replacement.

Whilst USMNT star Berhalter will go some way to filling the void left by Hackney, it appears as though Hellberg is looking for further additions in the middle of the park, as according to Alan Nixon via Patreon, Stade Rennes' Jordan James is a player of interest to Boro.

James, 22, came through the ranks at Birmingham City, and made 105 appearances for the Blues before securing a move to France with Rennes in the summer of 2024 for an initial £6 million, where he would make 23 Ligue 1 appearances in his first year at the club.

He'd be allowed to return to England after just one year last summer, joining Leicester City on loan for the campaign, where, despite the Foxes' relegation, the Welsh international mightily impressed, scoring 11 and assisting four in 34 Championship games for the club.

However, Middlesbrough face a battle for his signature, with both Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United also interested in James' services, with this battle set to intensify over the coming weeks.

Would Jordan James be a good replacement for Hayden Hackney at Middlesbrough?

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With Aidan Morris and Berhalter likely being the starting pair in the middle of the park for Middlesbrough to open the season, Hellberg is looking to add more options to that area following the departures of Alan Browne and Alex Gilbert, as well as Hackney.

James has emerged as an option, and there is every reason to believe that the Welshman could fill the boots of Hackney and then some.

Last season, both shone in slightly different areas, but with the addition of Berhalter, he and the American could prove to be an upgrade on the 24-year-old.

Of course, considering the number of places between them in the final table, both the way Middlesbrough and Leicester played last season must be taken into consideration.

James acted more as a goal threat than he did defensively, whilst Hackney offered more creativity in a slightly deeper role than that of the Welshman.

Boro dominated possession more often than not last season, whilst Leicester struggled to get to grips with games on the whole, with it hardly being surprising that Hackney managed better numbers across the board in the build-up phase.

James, still just 22, has more than enough time to develop in that area of the game, and with Boro, he would have the opportunity to display his ability in possession more than he did with Leicester, and could be the perfect replacement for Hackney, whilst not being like-for-like, though Boro must first fend off interest from Wolves and West Ham.

Kim Hellberg must continue Middlesbrough's incredible transfer window by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United to the services of Jordan James

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Middlesbrough look set to battle at the top of the Championship tree next season, and will likely face competition from both Wolves and West Ham for promotion, but first, they must face the newly-relegated duo in the transfer market.

Should a deal for Phillips get over the line, Boro will have addressed all areas of the pitch this summer, but with a few midfield departures, the addition of James would be a more than welcome one.

Nixon reports that Rennes are looking for around £10 million to part ways with the Frenchman, and whether Boro can cough up that amount of money following their recent outlay this summer remains to be seen.

However, supporters at the Riverside will be confident in their ability to get this one over the line too, after recent work in the window, as this saga is one to keep an eye on.